Diabetes mellitus is a major health problem in the United States. If control of hyperglycemia is desirable in this disease then identification of simple, convenient, and safe methods to achieve this aim is important. Dietary intervention would seem particularly crucial in this regard. In this proposal we wish to investigate the effects of different kinds of natural dietary starches on post-prandial plasma glucose and insulin responses in different kinds of diabetic patients. We have already found that glucose and insulin responses in normal subjects, and that these differences are exaggerated as glucose tolerance deteriorates. Thus, plasma glucose and insulin responses following the ingestion of rice starch are much lower than those seen following the ingestion of potato starch. The main goal of this research proposal is to test the hypothesis that these differences would be further exaggerated in diabetic patients and that starches which elicit the lowest plasma glucose responses in normal subjects might be of significant benefit in controlling the post-prandial hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. Therefore, we propose to examine the effects of different kinds of dietary starch on post-prandial plasma glucose, insulin, and glucagon levels, glucose tolerance, and plasma triglyceride concentrations.